DiNapoli Calls for Expansion of Vital Federal Programs to HelpFamilies Put Food on the Table
Approximately one in ten, or about 800,000, New York households experienced food insecurity at some point between 2019-21, according to a report from State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. The report found that the number of households facing food insecurity declined during the COVID-19 pandemic due to federal relief programs and the expansion of federal food assistance programs. DiNapoli raised the concern that food insecurity may grow as federal benefits lapse. Notably, additional Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits expire on March 1.
This is the second report from DiNapoli’s office examining issues impacting New Yorkers in need. His first report examined poverty trends.
“Federal aid helped New Yorkers put food on the table during the pandemic, but some relief programs are ending as inflation and other pressures are pushing household budgets to their limit,” DiNapoli said. “With all the challenges people are facing during these difficult times, we should ensure New Yorkers don’t go hungry. Our nation’s nutrition programs should be expanded to help those who are struggling to feed themselves and their families.”
A household suffers from food insecurity when it cannot, at times, access adequate food for everyone in the home due to a lack of resources, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The USDA reported 32.1% of households with annual incomes below the official poverty line were food insecure in 2021. National rates of food insecurity were highest for households headed by single mothers at 24.3%, as well as households headed by African Americans (19.8%) and Hispanics (16.2%) in 2021.
For the 2019-2021 period, New York’s rate of food insecurity was 10.3%, slightly lower than the U.S. average of 10.4%. New York’s rate of food insecurity is 4.1 percentage points lower than the peak of 14.4% reported in the 2012-2014 period. Food insecurity in New York, and nationally, continued trending downward even through the COVID pandemic due to federal policy actions. These actions enhanced income – including three rounds of economic impact payments and the temporary expansion of the Child Tax Credit in 2021 – and increased assistance available through federal nutrition programs, including SNAP and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC).
However, DiNapoli warns this downward trend may be abating as federal relief programs lapse and food prices continue to rise. Overall food prices are significantly higher since spring 2021, increasing 10.4% nationally and 8.6% in the New York-Newark-Jersey City area from December 2021 to December 2022.
U.S. Census survey data indicate a growing number of New Yorkers are reporting they sometimes or often did not have enough food to eat (“food insufficiency”). In the summer of 2021, 7.3% of New Yorkers reported food insufficiency, with higher rates in households with children. By November 2022, food insufficiency grew to 10.8% of New Yorkers and rates for households with children increased to 13.4%.
Over the last two years, Black and Hispanic or Latino adult New Yorkers were more likely to report food insufficiency than both white adult New Yorkers and adult New Yorkers overall. From 2021 to 2022 (through November) the percentage of adults experiencing food insufficiency increased from 21% to 22.7% for Hispanic or Latino New Yorkers, and 17.2% to 21.9% for African American New Yorkers.
DiNapoli's report recommends:
- Renew the Federal Child Tax Credit Expansion. Recipients of the federal enhanced Child Tax Credit reported greater declines in food insecurity than non-recipients, underscoring the interrelatedness of social safety net policies.
- Implement the White House Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition and Health. The White House has a goal of cutting food insecurity by half and virtually eliminating the number of U.S. households experiencing hunger by 2030. The strategy calls for efforts to improve food access and affordability, ease access to benefits, prioritize nutrition and strengthen federal assistance programs.
- Expand SNAP and WIC. The federal government should extend temporary benefits for SNAP, WIC and school meal programs until inflation’s impact on food costs subsides and raise the eligibility levels for SNAP and WIC to at least 200% of the federal poverty level.
- Improve Outreach and Access. State agencies should conduct outreach to increase participation in SNAP and WIC and make it easier to apply and recertify.
- Promote State Nutritional Programs. Support for programs such as Nourish New York, which connects New York agricultural products with food banks, should be continued.
- Pursue Innovative Approaches. The state and federal government should address the factors that contribute to food and nutrition insecurity, including expansion of medically tailored meals provided by Medicaid, subsidizing the costs of online food delivery, and incentives to bring grocery stores and healthy food to food deserts.
“State Comptroller DiNapoli’s statement 'we should ensure New Yorkers don’t go hungry' is both a summary of the issue as well as a call to action,” said United Way of New York State President Hugh Parry. "Nutrition programs are ending, and food prices are increasing which combine to endanger the vulnerable, both old and young. United Way of New York State commends the recommendations State Comptroller DiNapoli advances to address food insecurity. The system of United Ways throughout New York will continue their work at the community level to address hunger while the information and referral network, accessed by dialing the three-digit number 211, will direct people to help.”
"Food insecurity knows no bounds, whether someone lives in New York City or in remote rural areas of our state. It's imperative we have a strong food system that widens access to fresh, local food. This includes continued support for the Nourish NY and the HPNAP programs that benefit people in need and the state's family farms. New York Farm Bureau thanks State Comptroller DiNapoli for highlighting the issue and his support for New York agriculture," said David Fisher, New York Farm Bureau president.
“As the regional food bank for Long Island, we see how many families, seniors, and children struggle with food insecurity on a daily basis,” said Paule T. Pachter, president & CEO of Long Island Cares - The Harry Chapin Regional Food Bank. “We applaud State Comptroller DiNapoli for focusing on the issues of poverty and hunger and publishing a series of reports and recommendations that New York State can implement to reduce food insecurity. We join with State Comptroller DiNapoli in calling attention to several proposals in Congress that seek to reduce support for vital programs such as SNAP, WIC and other services that can result in lifting people out of the cycle of poverty and food insecurity. While the number of New Yorkers in need of emergency food assistance has gone down in recent months, the cost of living, inflation, and the cost of the average market basket are impacting many families and will undoubtedly result in an increase in need, which is why the recommendations provided by the State Comptroller need to be a priority for our elected officials to address.”
Report
New Yorkers in Need: Food Insecurity and Nutritional Assistance Programs
Other Report in Series
New Yorkers In Need: A Look at Poverty Trends in New York State For The Last Decade
Approximately one in ten, or about 800,000, New York households experienced food insecurity at some point between 2019-21, according to a report from State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. The report found that the number of households facing food insecurity declined during the COVID-19 pandemic due to federal relief programs and the expansion of federal food assistance programs. DiNapoli raised the concern that food insecurity may grow as federal benefits lapse. Notably, additional Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits expire on March 1.
This is the second report from DiNapoli’s office examining issues impacting New Yorkers in need. His first report examined poverty trends.
“Federal aid helped New Yorkers put food on the table during the pandemic, but some relief programs are ending as inflation and other pressures are pushing household budgets to their limit,” DiNapoli said. “With all the challenges people are facing during these difficult times, we should ensure New Yorkers don’t go hungry. Our nation’s nutrition programs should be expanded to help those who are struggling to feed themselves and their families.”
A household suffers from food insecurity when it cannot, at times, access adequate food for everyone in the home due to a lack of resources, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The USDA reported 32.1% of households with annual incomes below the official poverty line were food insecure in 2021. National rates of food insecurity were highest for households headed by single mothers at 24.3%, as well as households headed by African Americans (19.8%) and Hispanics (16.2%) in 2021.
For the 2019-2021 period, New York’s rate of food insecurity was 10.3%, slightly lower than the U.S. average of 10.4%. New York’s rate of food insecurity is 4.1 percentage points lower than the peak of 14.4% reported in the 2012-2014 period. Food insecurity in New York, and nationally, continued trending downward even through the COVID pandemic due to federal policy actions. These actions enhanced income – including three rounds of economic impact payments and the temporary expansion of the Child Tax Credit in 2021 – and increased assistance available through federal nutrition programs, including SNAP and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC).
However, DiNapoli warns this downward trend may be abating as federal relief programs lapse and food prices continue to rise. Overall food prices are significantly higher since spring 2021, increasing 10.4% nationally and 8.6% in the New York-Newark-Jersey City area from December 2021 to December 2022.
U.S. Census survey data indicate a growing number of New Yorkers are reporting they sometimes or often did not have enough food to eat (“food insufficiency”). In the summer of 2021, 7.3% of New Yorkers reported food insufficiency, with higher rates in households with children. By November 2022, food insufficiency grew to 10.8% of New Yorkers and rates for households with children increased to 13.4%.
Over the last two years, Black and Hispanic or Latino adult New Yorkers were more likely to report food insufficiency than both white adult New Yorkers and adult New Yorkers overall. From 2021 to 2022 (through November) the percentage of adults experiencing food insufficiency increased from 21% to 22.7% for Hispanic or Latino New Yorkers, and 17.2% to 21.9% for African American New Yorkers.
DiNapoli's report recommends:
- Renew the Federal Child Tax Credit Expansion. Recipients of the federal enhanced Child Tax Credit reported greater declines in food insecurity than non-recipients, underscoring the interrelatedness of social safety net policies.
- Implement the White House Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition and Health. The White House has a goal of cutting food insecurity by half and virtually eliminating the number of U.S. households experiencing hunger by 2030. The strategy calls for efforts to improve food access and affordability, ease access to benefits, prioritize nutrition and strengthen federal assistance programs.
- Expand SNAP and WIC. The federal government should extend temporary benefits for SNAP, WIC and school meal programs until inflation’s impact on food costs subsides and raise the eligibility levels for SNAP and WIC to at least 200% of the federal poverty level.
- Improve Outreach and Access. State agencies should conduct outreach to increase participation in SNAP and WIC and make it easier to apply and recertify.
- Promote State Nutritional Programs. Support for programs such as Nourish New York, which connects New York agricultural products with food banks, should be continued.
- Pursue Innovative Approaches. The state and federal government should address the factors that contribute to food and nutrition insecurity, including expansion of medically tailored meals provided by Medicaid, subsidizing the costs of online food delivery, and incentives to bring grocery stores and healthy food to food deserts.
“State Comptroller DiNapoli’s statement 'we should ensure New Yorkers don’t go hungry' is both a summary of the issue as well as a call to action,” said United Way of New York State President Hugh Parry. "Nutrition programs are ending, and food prices are increasing which combine to endanger the vulnerable, both old and young. United Way of New York State commends the recommendations State Comptroller DiNapoli advances to address food insecurity. The system of United Ways throughout New York will continue their work at the community level to address hunger while the information and referral network, accessed by dialing the three-digit number 211, will direct people to help.”
"Food insecurity knows no bounds, whether someone lives in New York City or in remote rural areas of our state. It's imperative we have a strong food system that widens access to fresh, local food. This includes continued support for the Nourish NY and the HPNAP programs that benefit people in need and the state's family farms. New York Farm Bureau thanks State Comptroller DiNapoli for highlighting the issue and his support for New York agriculture," said David Fisher, New York Farm Bureau president.
“As the regional food bank for Long Island, we see how many families, seniors, and children struggle with food insecurity on a daily basis,” said Paule T. Pachter, president & CEO of Long Island Cares - The Harry Chapin Regional Food Bank. “We applaud State Comptroller DiNapoli for focusing on the issues of poverty and hunger and publishing a series of reports and recommendations that New York State can implement to reduce food insecurity. We join with State Comptroller DiNapoli in calling attention to several proposals in Congress that seek to reduce support for vital programs such as SNAP, WIC and other services that can result in lifting people out of the cycle of poverty and food insecurity. While the number of New Yorkers in need of emergency food assistance has gone down in recent months, the cost of living, inflation, and the cost of the average market basket are impacting many families and will undoubtedly result in an increase in need, which is why the recommendations provided by the State Comptroller need to be a priority for our elected officials to address.”
Report
New Yorkers in Need: Food Insecurity and Nutritional Assistance Programs
Other Report in Series
New Yorkers In Need: A Look at Poverty Trends in New York State For The Last Decade
No comments:
Post a Comment